Felix Dolah is an artist based in Mainz, Germany who works in diluted charcoal, creating ghostly images that play with simple figures and negative space. The artist’s works embrace sharp contrast and are devoid of color.

Accattone

My first impression of Dolah’s works is that they’re slightly creepy – the elongated limbs and slightly off-kilter silhouettes of these maybe-human figures place them firmly in the uncanny valley. There’s something playful about Dolah’s works, though. Some of them are distinctly reminiscent, at least in spirit, of gothic illustrator Edward Gorey.

The idea of mixing charcoal with water is quite interesting – normally I think of charcoal as a drawing material, but Dolah, diluting it, turns it into something like paint or watercolor, allowing for a different texture when it’s applied to the paper. This same effect allows the artist to create his figures’ oddly elongated legs. Dragging charcoal lines down three-quarters of a page serves to guide the viewer’s eye and strengthen Dolah’s use of negative space.

About the author

Dallas Jeffs is the Editor of Artist Run Website's blog. She is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, where she studied Critical and Cultural Practices. She is passionate about talking and writing about art, and sharing that interest with others. In her studio practice she is a painter, but she considers herself an art writer and educator foremost. If you like art, books and culture with a science fiction twist, check out Dallas' personal blog, HappySpaceNoises